Alligator and python caught in deadly fight

AN alligator and a Burmese python were locked in a cold-blooded battle to the death as a crowd watched in shock at a golf course in Naples, Florida last week.

Richard Nadler spotted the gator entwined with the large snake just outside the 10th hole at The Golf Club at Fiddler's Creek. Both creatures were perfectly still, but it appeared the gator had the head of the snake in its mouth.

"The alligator seems to have the upper hand," Nadler commented after sharing pictures of the hair-raising scene on Facebook.

A Burmese python, which can grow up to 8 metres long and weigh up to 90kg, uses its crushing grip to squeeze large mammals, birds and reptiles to death.

In Florida, the average size of a Burmese python is between 2 and 3 metres, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

In comparison, female alligators in Florida typically measure less than metres in length, but males can grow much larger, the FWC reports. Gators are opportunistic feeders, hunting for prey that is easily accessible.